Reader comments

Is anybody surprised?
It’s pretty common knowledge that not only do men fear commitment, they like to put it about wherever possible. Women on the other hand find it more difficult to find a partner they like, but once they do, will probably stay with them for life.

Incidentally, these are not my findings, but research by many people over many years with both gay and straight people. Don’t bitch about it, it’s just the way it is; get used to it.

There’s not very much to be surprised about… it’s a difference of 1%!!!

Also, re: women taking longer to find their right partner and men prefering to put it about, the average age for partnerships is 40 for men and 39 for women… a whole extra year on average of putting it about!

Deej: That’s my point. Women are not naturally promiscuous. The basic principle is about continuation of the gene. In evolutionary terms, men want to spread their seed as far and wide as possible in order to impregnate and push their genes out where they can. However, women are the ones that have to carry the child for nine months and probably bring it up alone. Women naturally act as a control factor over men’s sex lives because they are the ones that determine if that man is the right one or not. Obviously in recent times contraception has changed all that.
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Women therefore want the best man for their child, who is both fit, healthy and will support the child, thus giving it the best chance of survival and obviously the continuation of the woman’s genes.
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In gay terms, this rather throws the concept on it’s head, as two lesbians will be very selective about each other, whereas two gay men will just shag ‘n’ go.

Would it not be better to wait until we have marriage (and CP) equality and then give the guidance in a gender/orientation inclusive way. To do it now would simply embed the current discriminatory practice and means another potentially confusing change a little way down the line.

Dave – I’ve already had a reply and she agrees it does sound a rather discriminatory thing to put into the Education bill
If children are going to be taught that marriages are the bedrock of society, good for family life and the upbringing of children, and that CPs are quite different, then we need to make absolutely sure that we too are part of the (presently straight only) club of marriage…..

Since we know that at birth male babies outnumber female babies by a small margin but that the death rates ensure a balanced population as the years go by, if the average age for civil partnerships is in the area of age 40, give or take, is it surprising that female CPs outnumber male CPs slightly? All it shows is that Queen Victoria seriously underestimated the number of lesbians!

The ONS website confirms that the total is for the UK. In England, women and men were both 50% of CPs. As noted above, in Scotland, women were 58%, and in Wales 61% of all CPs.

Another interesting fact is that, per head of population, the rate of women’s CPs in Scotland is almost the same as in England. But the rate of men’s CPs here in Scotland is only just over 70% of the rate in England.

No idea why! Do 30% of gay men and bisexual men in Scotland migrate to England – we know that some do.

Well, it may have changed in recent years, but it was pretty common knowledge that gay people moved to the cities to hopefully try and find more of their kind.
As Scotland is a far more rural area and England has more major cities, it’s hardly surprising Scottish and Welsh LGBT people would migrate South to places like Manchester and London.

Naturally women are less afraid of commitment than men whether it is a straight or gay relationship. Furthermore the old social attitudes towards straights still remain with promiscous women still being branded slags while such men are considered studs.

Jock, that may well pan out once it’s legalised. It wouldn’t surprise me.

Interestingly, a study in the state of Massachusetts in America found that since it legalised same-sex marriage several years ago, the number of straight and gay couples marrying has increased, while the divorce rates, especially for straight couples are significantly lower. An insignificant number of gay married couples have divorced apparently, almost negligible.

Testosterone generally gives men a higher sex drive than women, which would explain the desire to remain free and single. The increased risk of HIV among gay men would tend to have the opposite effect encouraging monogamous relationships. Women tend to be more emotional and more likely to be “nesters”. I would expect more lesbian to be in a committed relationship based on that but I’m surprised the percentages are so close.